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Ep 750 (19 Apr 1991)
Synopsis Carly tries to cheer up Ben over the chickens, taking the glass half full approach. Maybe it isn't fowl cholera that's killing them and that they'll be fine. Ben knows what she's trying to do but goes out to check on the chickens anyway. Donald gives Pippa and Michael a bottle of champagne. Pippa insists on sharing it with him right now. Donald admits their wedding is the first one in a long time that hasn't made him feel his age. Usually he has taught one or both of the couple. Donald asks Pippa about her wedding dress. She admits she has seen three but there is only one she really liked. Sophie adds that the stumbling block was that it cost $400. Michael doesn't think the price should matter. Donald says that when he thinks of how much Princess Di's wedding dress cost, $400 sounds very reasonable. Marilyn confirms with Alf that she will be there the following morning to start work in his shop. Nick wonders aloud if could this lead to her getting her old job back. Marilyn doesn't think so. Besides, she has set her sights higher. She has applied for the job of a store manager in Yabbie Creek. The next day, Carly brings Pippa and Michael up to date with what has been happening with the chickens. Before she leaves, Pippa mentions that she's going to Yabbie Creek with Sophie to buy her some new jeans. When Pippa leaves the house to see Carly off, Michael has a word with Sophie. He asks her if she can talk Pippa into buying the wedding dress and not to let the price put her off. Alf's new store has finally opened. Marilyn is in full flight, encouraging the customers to buy all sorts of things. According to Alf, she came up with the idea of a lucky shopper's prize every 30 minutes to generate excitement. It seems to be working too. Carly comes into the store and finds herself telling Alf about the chickens. Alf thinks he has just the solution and takes an old bush remedy from behind the counter. A now deceased customer of his used to wear by what's in the little bottle he gives her. When Carly gets home, she finds Ben sitting in the living room. All the chickens are dead. The vet confirmed that it was fowl cholera and they put the chickens to sleep so they wouldn't have to suffer any more. Ben isn't upset though - he is angry. The vet believes the chickens had the symptoms before they were sold to him. The Dawsons, who sold the chickens to Ben, knew there was something wrong with them. Ben decides to go visit them and get his money back. Carly insists on coming with him. Alf's store opening is going well. Pippa, who has called in, wins $10 in the latest lucky shopper draw. Sophie, who had put Pippa's name into the draw, makes a beeline for the chocolate section. The phone in the shop rings - it is somebody looking for Marilyn. Back home, Sophie is a bit green around the gills after eating her body weight in chocolate. Michael asks Pippa if she bought anything special in Yabbie Creek. Pippa says no, she hasn't bought a wedding dress yet. When Michael leaves to go to work, Pippa and Sophie start to discuss the dress. It turns out Pippa had tried it on again and it looked really awful when she got it to the window. Ben and Carly arrive at the Dawson's farm. Seeing as they had sold the diseased chickens to Ben in the first place, there are no prizes for guessing how well the conversation about getting his money back goes. Ben and one of them nearly come to blows. Back in Alf's store, Marilyn tells Nick she didn't get the job she had applied for. They want someone older. When she is out of earshot, Nick makes a point of talking to Alf and mentions how good Marilyn is with the customers. Alf looks thoughtful. Michael calls to see Pippa and tells her to close her eyes. He brings in a big white box. When Pippa sees what's inside, she realises to her horror that he has bought the $400 wedding dress she no longer likes. All Pippa can say is that she's overwhelmed. The opening of Alf's store was a success. He tells Marilyn he has had a change of heart and he would like to keep her on permanently. He will find a way to pay her somehow. Then he says he knows she didn't get the other jobs she had applied for and that she's a good little worker. Marilyn is insulted by that phrase and tells him she wouldn't work in his shop if it was the last place on earth. Alf joins Ailsa on the beach. When Ailsa hears that he had described her as a "good little worker", she is horrified. It's the sort of thing they'd say to Duncan. Marilyn is a grown woman. In the Diner, Ben is quite down over what happened with the chickens. Carly tries to cheer him up and mentions them getting new chickens. Just then, the phone rings and Carly answers. It is Nick on the other end of the line and he wants to speak to Ben urgently. The Dawsons are being put into a police car when Ben gets home. Nick explains that he and a colleague were coming back from a call in the area when he thought he'd get some vegetables from Ben. When they got to the farm, they caught the Dawsons running their ute backward and forwards over the land. They had also slaughtered the goats. Nick doesn't want Carly to see the aftermath of that. Michael asks Sophie to tell him if Pippa pleased about the dress? He can't wait to see her in it. Sophie takes the opportunity to ask him if he knows about the traditions that go with weddings? The groom isn't supposed to see the bride's dress before the day of the wedding. Pippa reckons it's really bad luck and they're going to take it back to the shop. Soon, Pippa comes back into the kitchen. Michael apologies about the dress and says he didn't realise she was superstitious. For a moment Pippa is confused but figures out what's going on pretty quickly. She promises Michael she will find another dress or even make one. Alf calls to see Marilyn. He now knows he was wrong to say she was a good little worker. She is more than that. She is manageress material. He apologies and offers her the job again. Marilyn accepts the job and negotiates a pay rise for herself too. Ben is very despondent, Apart from marrying Carly, he hasn't made any good decisions since he moved to Summer Bay. Nothing has gone right for him and he doesn't feel like he belongs. He made a decision when he was burying the goats earlier. The only place he really belongs is in the army. He is going to re-enlist. Cast *Ailsa Stewart - Judy Nunn *Alf Stewart - Ray Meagher *Ben Lucini - Julian McMahon *Carly Lucini - Sharyn Hodgson *Marilyn Chambers - Emily Symons *Michael Ross - Dennis Coard *Pippa Fletcher - Debra Lawrance *Sophie Simpson - Rebekah Elmaloglou Guest Cast *Nick Parrish - Bruce Roberts *Duncan Stewart - Lewis Devaney *Barry Dawson - Robert Price *Ted Dawson - Peter Hayes - * Writer - Mary Dagmar Davies * Director - Julian McSwiney * Series Producer - Andrew Howie * Exec Producer - Des Monaghan Prev Ep Ep 749 (18 Apr 1991) Next Ep Ep 751 (22 Apr 1991) Category:1991 episodes.